Proton & Soyuz problems found

[Dr Mordrid]

The problem with Proton's Briz-M second stage has been tracked down to a programmer who wrote bad code. Corrections shouldn't take long.

This doesn't fix the Soyuz 2nd stage issue which is still under extensive investigation. Russian ISS flights are still delayed, but SpaceX's Dragon is still set to fly in late November.

Rumors are that Roscosmos will reward the Briz-M programmer with a VIP seat directly under the next Proton to fly

[cjolley]

The problem with Proton's Briz-M second stage has been tracked down to a programmer who wrote bad code....

"a programmer"?

Management deserves to sit in the front seat if their code production is really set up that way!

[Dr Mordrid]

Russkis probably assign -a- programmer to each subroutine in the code

[Marshmallowman]

Any decent software engineering will have the code reviewed by at least one different programer...not to mention the proper testing that probably was not done.
There managemnet sux, but as you can see they now how to pass the buck, so they are probably good "corporate management" material in that that none of the shit they cause will stick to them.

[Dr Mordrid]

This is just one of the QC problems Russia has had the last few years, and Soyuz has been disproportionately the victim. Improper separation of spacecraft modules causing very rough re-entries, screwed computer upgrades, and now this. As they say in the industry; your reputation is only as good as your last launch.

[Umfriend]

AFAIK, Russia =! QC

[Dr Mordrid]

Looks like the Soyuz problem has been found too: a faulty gas generator in the rocket engine. The gas generator burns some of the fuel & oxidizer to create hot gasses which drive the turbopump, which in turn delivers the main flow of fuel and oxidizer to the rocket engine.

ITAR-TASS....

Interesting English article in PRAVDA -

Russia wastes billions in space
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[background story]
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Konstantin Kreidenko, an expert with Glonass Herald magazine, believes that the Russian space industry is outdated.

"All these problems take place because of the mistakes made by previous administrators of the industry. All technical malfunctions occur on the level of rockets and their components, not on the level of spacecraft. This is not a surprise at all because the rockets have not been replaced for years, they were only modernized. This is the core of the problem," he said.

Igor Lisov, an expert with News of the Space Industry magazine, shares a similar point of view.

"The crisis in the industry is not news, it is a consequences. We have to realize that we do not have many good specialists in the industry. We hope for young people, who come to work in the industry, but if they get paid less than street sellers of ice cream, then we have nothing to hope for," he said.

"As for education for young specialists, up to 80 percent of professors are pensioners who work in cold offices and receive low salaries. The institute looks depressing, many students are simply shocked with what they see in the building. Everything is broken and dilapidated. The people don't know what they work for. There is no national idea. Everyone knows that top officials in the industry have billion-ruble budgets, but no one needs any innovations."

Ivan Preobrazhensky, an editor of the political department of Rosbalt news agency said: "It is about time everyone must realize that Russia is not the first country in the world when it comes to either ballet or the rocket industry. The Soviet scientific school no loner exists. The people that the school created have either died or retired for age reasons. No new scientific schools have been created in the country in the field of physics, cosmology, philosophy, history, biology, etc. There is no demand for it either on the part of the society or on the part of the authorities," he said.

"In less than a year, the Russian space industry suffered 16 billion rubles of losses. This is the price for restoration works in the Hermitage, development programs on Kurile islands and the support of small business before 2013. This money was literally launched into space and wasted," the expert added.

[Dr Mordrid]

The blame game has begun.

Russia's Prosecutor General is investigating the factory where the Soyuz's 3rd stage engine is built, and if "negligence" is found charges and imprisonment are likely.

Until the inquiry is completed and problems fixed, all Soyuz vehicles are grounded. Even after Soyuz is cleared Roscosmos and NASA want to fly 2 unmanned missions before crewed missions resume. PM Putin has ordered stricter quality controls for all space hardware, including a review of everything already in stores.

The entire launch schedule is being moved to the right, and SpaceX's Falcon 9/Dragon C2/C3 flight could be delayed until January 2012.

[Dr Mordrid]

Roscosmos updated its investigation results on September 9. They announced that the fuel supply to the Soyuz/Progress 2nd stage engine's gas generator had been "choked" due to a "production defect". They plan to examine engines in the inventory to determine if the defect was an isolated incident.

The gas generator burns fuel and oxidizer diverted from the main flow to generate gases that drive the fuel and oxidizer turbopumps, which in turn feed the rocket engines thrust chamber.